


Clash

by beadedslipper



Series: The Cully Wully Ficlet Saga [7]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Sorta silly, but I liked it, idk why that happened, only at the end, so i kept it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 00:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3269582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadedslipper/pseuds/beadedslipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisitor keeps coming back to Haven injured.  Cullen is sick of it.  He decides she needs additional combat training and he is just the military commander to give it to her.</p>
<p>You don't need to have read the other ficlets in order to understand this one.  They're all unrelated. Hope you like it! =)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clash

**Author's Note:**

> Cullen’s protective side is showing in a not-very-attractive way. The Herald just thinks he’s being a pain in the ass.

“You want to what?” She asked incredulously.

“You need help improving your combat skills.  I can train you.  We can start today.”

“I do _not_ need help improving my fighting.  My skills are just fine thank you very much.” The Herald said indignantly.

Cullen took a deep breath through his nose.  He knew she was going to be difficult about this.  “Is that so?” He asked.

“Yes.  It is so.” She bit out.

Asking the Maker for forgiveness, he reached out and dug his fingers none too gently into her side right above her ribcage.

She winced, shoving his arm away.  “Andraste’s holy tits, why the hell did you do that?!” She snarled, breathing hard and gritting her teeth against obvious pain.

“If your combat skills are fine then why, pray tell, are you constantly coming back to Haven with injuries like that?” Cullen asked her, voice hard.  “That has to be, what, two, maybe three broken ribs?”

“That’s what healers are for.  Solas already did a patch job so we could get back here.”

“Well then I’ll be having a conversation with Solas as well about leaving work incomplete.  But that doesn’t change the fact you were the one who got hit.  What was it exactly?”

She looked away petulantly.  “War hammer.”

“A war hammer.” He repeated.  “A war hammer got right inside your guard.  What in the Maker’s name were you doing?  Daydreaming?”

She pursed her lips but didn’t answer.

“I don’t care if you are Andraste herself, I will not allow this to continue.  You are going to have those ribs seen to.  Today.  Then tomorrow you are going to meet me for training.  At dawn.  Don’t be late.”  Cullen ordered in his most commanding voice.

“What?!” She fumed but he was already gone.

\---

When Cullen arrived at the practice courts outside of Haven’s walls, he was expecting that he would have to go drag the Herald out of bed.  Instead he found her already there, dark hair pulled away from her face, sitting on a crate and sharpening her sword.

“I didn’t expect you to be here.” He said, the honest words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

She shrugged, not looking up from where her whetstone glided over the cool veridium blade.  “I don’t sleep much.”

He shuffled uncomfortably, not sure what to say to that.  Should he tell her he didn’t sleep either?  “Well…uh…should we get started?”

She gave him a look, her purple eyes capturing him as usual.  “You tell me.  This was your idea after all.  I still think my fighting is just fine.”

A tendon flexed in his jaw but he didn’t say anything.  It was too early to start an argument.

“Here.” He held out a wooden practice sword and shield. 

She looked at them like they were something slimy.  “You can’t be serious.”

“I need to see what you actually can do before I can teach you anything new.”

Her eyes flashed at the implication and she grabbed the gear, taking up a perfect stance.  She waited only long enough for him to arm up before she was attacking, her sword flashing so fast through the pre-dawn air that he barely had time to get his own up in time.  His eyes widened at the reverberations that went down his arm, at the ferocity in her eyes.

She broke away just as fast, darting back and then forward again to sweep for his shins.  He jumped over her swing, landing on the tip of her sword and pinning it to the dirt with his foot.  She didn’t even hesitate, letting go and bringing the edge of her shield down hard on the elbow of the arm holding his sword.  He yelped, his hand reflexively letting go of his sword.  She scooped it out of midair and then slid away.  She waited for him to arm himself.

He bent slowly to pick up her discarded sword, watching her more warily this time around.  She was…more competent than he expected.   Fast and clever.  Her lavender eyes watched him intelligently over the top of her shield, evaluating what he would do next.

It was Cullen’s turn to attack and he did so with three long lunges forward, his sword chopping for her skull.  He was trying to get her on her heels, a rookie mistake.  Instead, she circled around him, forcing him to change directions and bring his shield up sharply as she jabbed for his side.

They spun and clashed, like an intricate dance with the sunrise as their backdrop. She met him at every turn, showing unexpected brutality and restraint when the situation called for it.

She came in with a diagonal slash for his neck.  He brought his sword across to block hers, pressing close until they were almost body to body.  Both of their arms quivered with exertion.  He could have pressed her.  His superior height and strength gave him the advantage in this situation.  But he didn’t, too mesmerized by her eyes that flashed with adrenaline and competition and her full parted lips that panted for air.

“Well Commander?” She asked.  Her voice was a breathless, husky sigh that sent a chill down his spine.

He blinked.  “G…good.  That was good.  You…you should try to keep your shield up more though.”

Disappointment flashed across her face for a brief moment before she yelled in exasperation.  She broke away so fast he almost lost his balance.  She dropped her practice gear in the dirt, swept up her sword from where it rested, and stomped off back into the walls of Haven.

He watched her go, more confused than ever.

\---

“I don’t understand it.” He murmured from his seat at the bar, watching the Herald joke with Sera and Varric across the way.

“What is it that you don’t understand Commander?” A mellifluous voice asked from over his shoulder.  Dorian took the bench next to his, signaling the bartender.

Cullen glanced at the Tevinter mage.  He nodded towards the Herald.  “I don’t understand how she always comes back injured.  She’s an excellent fighter.  As good as Cassandra.  As good as me.”

“Well, that could be because she’s not getting injured because she’s the one being attacked.”

Cullen shot him a confused glance.  Dorian smirked sheepishly.  “It’s bad out there Commander.  You don’t know.”  Cullen’s jaw clenched and Dorian held up placating hands.  “Not because you’re neither willing nor capable of helping.  You’re just more important here.  But it is quite horrendous.  It’s impossible to see everything at once.  Our Herald is a fierce fighter.  She’s also fiercely protective.  So, if she sees one of her companions about to be skewered she…intervenes.  Usually she’s able to do it without getting skewered herself.  Sometimes, she ends up taking the blow.”

Cullen slowly digested this new information.  He rubbed a weary hand over his face.  “Maker’s breath.  I have to apologize to her.”

“Say something foolish Commander?  Who’s the protective one now?”

He glared at Dorian.

“I am not…”

“Oh, look, there she goes.”

He looked up to see the Herald saying her goodbyes and slipping out of the tavern.  He immediately vacated his stool, hurrying after her.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Dorian trilled after him.

\---

He found her leaning on the fence of the stables, looking up at the stars.

“Good evening.”

She looked over to him.  “Commander.” She said warily.

“May I join you?”

“Are you going to give me another lecture on the proper way to defend myself?”

He huffed an awkward laugh.  “No I won’t.”

She narrowed her eyes before giving him a nod.

He leaned back against the fence, their shoulders almost brushing.  “I used to stargaze a lot as a child.” He confided.

She hummed.

“My brother taught me all the constellations and I used to look out our window trying to pick them out.”  He pointed to the sky.  “Equinor.”  He shifted his arm.  “Fervenial.”

She took his wrist in her hand, moving his arm to point at a cluster of stars low on the horizon.  “Judex.” She said.

He looked down at her.  “I owe you an apology.”

She blinked up at him, eyes bright in the moonlight.  “I…I’m sorry I er, well, questioned…”

“Insulted?” She offered.

He winced.  “Ye-yes, well, insulted your fighting skills.  You are…I mean, with a sword you’re quite…Maker’s breath…you…you…”

His cheeks flamed in the night.  He could tell her annoyance was quickly turning to amusement.  He needed to get out of here.  “You fight good!” He blurted, patting her shoulder and fleeing for the safety of the barracks.  He felt like his blush lit up the night.

As for the Herald, she watched him go, confused and over-aware of the spot his hand had touched.  It was going to take more than a little bit of stargazing to understand the Commander.

Good thing she loved a puzzle.


End file.
